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joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam
The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.
Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.
Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!
Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.
Click here to report a problem with this page.
Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:
- This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Cpt. Mohika Moore" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <au9019469333874@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 1 May 2023 12:10:23 -0700
Subject: Hi " Dear
Greeting,
My name is Capt. Monica Moore,I am an American member of the U.S. ARMY medical team in UKraine.
I just discovered One Package boxes containing American Dollars in UKraine. I have deposited Package boxes with a security company in UKraine
Am looking for a trustworthy individual who will assist me receive the fund before I come over and join him as soon as the fund gets into your hand. Please, I want this to be between me and you since I am still in the army.
To Prove my sincerity, We both should be honest with ourselves and be trustworthy because without trust and honestly nothing works in this life.
I look forward to your prompt reply to enable us move forward and I will get back to you ASAP with details.
Regards,
Cpt. Mohika Moore
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Anti-fraud resources:
